


Jaeger Down (Pacific Rim / Dragon Age II Crossover)

by sheilalein



Category: Dragon Age II, Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Humor, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, Original Character(s), Strong Female Characters, The Drift (Pacific Rim), potty mouth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-19 19:54:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4758962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheilalein/pseuds/sheilalein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Pan Pacific Defense Corps sends the Jaeger Inferno Titan, piloted by Clare Lewalski and Colin O’Tierney, through the Breach. When passing through, they inexplicably tore through the layers between realms and time and land near Kirkwall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not claim rights to Dragon Age, Pacific Rim or any of the affiliated characters. The work below is intended for entertainment purposes ONLY.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Clare Lewalski was paying attention to everything going on at that moment _except_ for what Stacker Pentecost was currently saying. She stared at his buttons, wondering how the fuck he kept them that shiny and goddamn straight.

She started to zone out again before she heard him mention the Breach. 

“Wait, what? The Breach?” she asked. Her partner silently chuckled beside her. 

“Yes, Lewalski, the Breach,” he said. He was not amused. “May I continue?” 

“Yes sir,” she said quietly, before elbowing the man beside her, who was laughing silently again. 

“As I was saying, we are going to make an attempt to cross the Breach. This is an attempt to gather intel _only_. You will pass through the Breach, and then be pulled back through with cables which will be attached to your support team. The _Inferno Titan_ is being outfitted right now with thousands of cameras and data sensors for this mission.

“Any questions?”

“How long will we be through the Breach, sir?” Clare’s partner asked. 

“Dr. Gottlieb believes it will take approximately seven minutes to fully pass through the Breach. We are hoping you’ll be down there no longer than ten total.”

“Sounds like fun,” he said, smirking the bewitching way only he could.

“Fun, Colin?” Clare said. “Diving head first into an alien world, with a rope tied around our fucking waist sounds like fun?”

“Only if I’m with you,” he said with a wink. 

“Oh brother,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“The mission,” Pentecost said, raising his voice so he could be heard over their banter. “Will start tomorrow at 0400. Dismissed.”

Clare followed Colin out of Pentecost’s office. They turned and headed toward the pilot’s workout area. 

“You think it will work?” she asked him. 

“Why wouldn’t it?” he said with a shrug. “I have some faith in the Defense Corps. They wouldn’t be sending us on this mission if they didn’t think it would work. Right?” he added. 

“If you say so,” Clare said. 

“Hey, I meant what I said,” Colin said, smirking at her, the way he did when he wanted something. “I don’t care what happens, as long as I’m with you.”

Clare rolled her eyes and opened the door to the gym area. 

“Up your ass, O’Tierney,” she huffed.

“What?” he said, feigning innocence. “This is a very dangerous mission. If there’s any chance we could die, we should spend our last night on Earth together, in each other’s arms, banging and eating leftover pizza.”

“Be still, my beating heart,” Clare said, laughing. “You know what, though? Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Colin said. “So, tonight, my place or-” 

“Hey, Yancy!” Clare shouted across the gym, calling out to a fellow Jaeger pilot. The man looked up and waved at her. “Later Colin,” she said with a smirk, as she left him standing there alone. 

“How’s it going?” she asked the handsome Ranger as he toweled off the sweat running down his face. 

“Not too bad,” he said. “Heard you guys got the breach intel gig. That’ll be fun.”

“That’s what Colin said,” Clare told him, laughing. “Must be a fucking male thing, danger leading to fun.”

“Must be,” he said, smiling at her. 

“So, I was thinking,” Clare said, trying not to sound nervous. “Maybe tonight we could grab something to eat in the mess hall and then hang out, or something?”

“We could hang out,” Yancy said, smiling. “Or something.”

Later that night, after a bland but still enjoyable dinner, Clare was walking with Yancy back to his room. 

“We’ll have the room to ourselves. I told Raleigh to make himself disappear,” he said to her, as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. He leaned down and planted a kiss along her cheekbone, which caused her to smile. 

They weren’t officially dating. She liked Yancy, and he seemed to like Clare well enough. They had spent time together, both at the Academy and away, but it was fucking hard for Jaeger pilots to get involved in real relationships. 

It was difficult for Yancy because any girl he or his brother were with, they ended up sharing (for lack of a better term). Any intimacy that _was_ between the couple would soon be between all three of them due to the Drift. Things just tended to get a little fucking weird sometimes. 

For Clare, the problem was Colin. He had some bizarre notion that she was his fucking destiny or some bullshit. He had no problem sleeping around, but when _she_ slept with someone, he went all mental about it. 

They had arrived at Yancy’s room. He unlocked the door, and held it open as Clare stepped inside. She looked around at the pictures taped to the walls as he followed her into the room, locking the door behind him. Before she could say anything, his arms were around her, his lips on hers. Clare moaned into the kiss, her jaw going slack which allowed him to deepen the kiss. 

His hands began to roam her body, eliciting another moan from her. He hurriedly unbuttoned the top of her jumpsuit and let it fall to her hips. He quickly pulled her undershirt up and over her head and tossed it behind him. His hands were back on her, on her back this time, as his lips trailed along her collarbone down to the swell of her breasts not covered by her bra. 

As his hands started to work the clasp of her bra, she let out a little laugh. 

“You’re in a hurry,” she said, teasing him. 

“I don’t want your partner interrupting us this time,” he told her, as her bra was tossed to the ground. He brought his hands around to cup her newly exposed breasts, gently kneading them. He leaned down and took one of her pink nipples in his mouth and flicked it with his tongue before rolling it between his teeth. 

Clare arched her back into his mouth, trying to get closer. It felt so damn good. He was still way too overdressed, so she unbuttoned his jumpsuit and pushed the whole thing, including his boxers, to his feet. It piled around his boots. He stopped his assault on her nipples long enough to pull his own shirt off. Clare ran her fingers down his muscled chest, feeling the sparse hair beneath. She dropped to her knees and took his erect member in her hands, planning to take it into her mouth. 

“Nope,” Yancy said, hauling her to her feet. “No time for that.” 

Clare laughed. “Really? None at all?” she asked, as she leaned against his chest, flattening her breasts, and started kissing his neck. 

“I told you, I don’t want to get interrupted. He’s going to be knocking on the door at some point tonight, and I’d prefer it to be when we’re laying in bed, naked, watching Netflix.”

He walked her backwards until her knees hit the edge of his bed. She fell down onto it, looking up at him with want in her eyes. He quickly tore her boots off and removed her jumpsuit. Then he sat to unlace his boots. Clare sat up and started kissing on his shoulders and back as he did, making him groan and stop. She reached around from behind him and took his cock in her hand. She smiled as she continued kissing his back. She knew how good he would feel deep inside her.

He grunted and kicked his boots off, which allowed his jumpsuit and boxers to join the mess on the floor. He turned to her, and pushed her flat onto the bed. He looked down and must have noticed that she was still wearing underwear. 

“I thought you didn’t wear underwear?” he said. 

“I thought you liked it when you got to take them off,” she said, lips going to his ear to lick the edge and nip at his lobe. He shuddered with pleasure, and pulled the panties down and off her long legs. 

He started kissing his way down her body before settling his head between her thighs. 

“I thought you said there was no fucking time!” she said, a moan catching in her throat as his tongue dipped into her entrance. 

“There’s always time for this,” he said, his voice low and rumbling against her skin. She tried desperately not to push her hips into his face, but when his tongue swirled around her clit, she failed. She felt him smile against her as her hips surged forward again, pressing herself closer to him. He brought his hands to her hips and held her still as he continued to lick and please her. 

Before long, she felt herself building. She was going to come, but she wanted to come with him in-fucking-side of her. 

“Yancy, please,” she said, almost begging. She grabbed at his arms, trying to pull him up to her. He complied and crawled up her body, stopping when he was hovering over her entrance. She bucked her hips up toward him, trying desperately to get him inside of her. He laughed at her eagerness, but didn’t make her wait. He pushed into her with two or three solid strokes, and in no time, found a rhythm that had her head in a spin.

She gripped his biceps tightly clinging to him as though if she let go, they’d fall away from each other and it would be over. She lifted one of her legs and hooked it over his other arm, giving him a deeper angle. He moaned loudly at the new-found feeling and sped up his thrusts. She felt the heat building up inside of her again; the coil tightening, preparing to spring. 

A knock sounded at the door. 

Clare squeezed her eyes shut, hoping against fucking hope that maybe she hadn’t heard anything. 

The knock came again. 

“This is bullshit,” Yancy said under his breath, slowing down. He looked down at Clare. When their eyes met, he picked the pace back up, pounding into her harder than before. “Not this time,” he promised her, as he leaned down to kiss her. She moaned into his mouth as she felt the pressure inside of her about to break free. 

“Yancy!” Raleigh called from the other side of the door. 

“Damn it!” he swore, as he pulled away and out of her. She almost whimpered at the loss, but caught herself and, instead, thumped a fist into the mattress with frustration. Yancy threw a blanket over her and picked up a pair of sweats from his dresser and pulled them on. He marched to the door and threw it open. “What?!” 

“It’s O’Tierney,” Raleigh said. “He’s in the mess hall, he’s wasted, and he’s asking for Clare.”

“Well, he’s just going to have to wait,” Yancy said. 

“I’m sorry,” his brother offered, before the door was shut. Yancy walked back over to the bed and sat on the edge. 

“You have to go, don’t you?” he asked her. 

Clare closed her eyes and let out an incredibly heavy sigh. 

“I don’t. I can stay,” she said. “I _want_ to stay.”

“But if you don’t go find him…”

“He’ll get himself into a Mongolian clusterfuck,” Clare finished. 

“You’re not his keeper,” Yancy said. 

“No, I’m not. I’m his partner,” Clare spat. She could stay, and then either someone else would get Colin back to his room, or he would get hauled off and taken to see Pentecost. He damn well deserved it. 

She couldn’t let that happen, though. They were there for each other, through thick and thin, even for the stupid things. And this certainly qualified as really fucking stupid. 

She got up and started to get dressed. 

“So, I guess you’re going,” Yancy said. 

“I really don’t have much fucking choice,” Clare told him. 

“You never do,” he said, agitated. She sighed. They did this every time, and every time she felt horrible, but it didn’t change anything. 

“I know, and I’m sorry. But even if I stayed, would we…”

“No, probably not,” he said, running his hand over the top of his head. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t be upset with you.”

“I get why you are, though,” Clare said sadly. It was expected; she shouldn’t be surprised. As soon as she saw Colin, she was going to punch him in his goddamned face. 

She stood at the door, ready to leave. “I’ll see you the next time?” she asked tentatively. He sighed as he stood to join her. 

“Of course,” he said, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her. “Even if we’re doomed, I can’t say no to you.” 

She smiled against his shoulder. She couldn’t say no to him, either.

“Good luck,” he said, opening the door. He kissed her one last time before she left to go find the douchenozzle known as Colin. 

She thought about taking her sweet time getting to the mess hall, hoping that he would get his ass chewed out by an officer. She sighed, and, knowing she wouldn’t be that lucky, made her way there as quickly as she could without running. 

As she rounded the corner, she heard laughter, music and too many voices coming from the mess hall. She went to the double doors and pulled one of them open. 

The mess hall was packed with people. Colin was up on top of one of the tables, singing karaoke loudly to a radio. He had a woman up there with him, his arm around her. Poor girl seemed to be twice as drunk as he was. 

Clare leaned against a wall and just watched. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. Colin was just fine. He didn’t need her; he had just wanted to interrupt her evening. Like every other fucking time.

As he was singing, he turned and saw her. He abandoned the tramp on his arm, jumped off the table and rushed over to where she was standing. 

“You came!” he said. Lifting her into his arms, he hugged her against his chest as he spun her around in a circle. “Clare’s here, everybody!” he shouted to the room as he carried her to the middle of the room. Everyone cheered for them as he put her up on his previously occupied table. 

“Colin, what the holy ass is wrong with you?” she hissed, as he climbed up next to her. “Raleigh came and got me. He _interrupted_ us, Colin. Why?”

“Because,” Colin said, a resplendent smile on his face. “If I had come and interrupted you, you wouldn’t have answered.”

“I can’t fucking believe you,” Clare muttered. “You are the most selfish prick on the planet.”

“Maybe, but it’s a fair trade, because now I’ll be spending the night with the most beautiful woman on the planet,” he said. 

“No, you won’t,” she said, hopping off the table. She stalked out of the room, leaving him behind her. 

“Clare, wait!” he called after her. Before she was ten feet out of the room, Colin was beside her, his hand on her arm. 

“You just don’t get it!” she yelled at him, jerking her arm out of his reach. “Why? Why the fuck do you keep doing this? I’d just like one night, one fucking night, that doesn’t end in you being a possessive dickwad.”

“I know… I’m sorry,” Colin said. “I’m not good at this stuff, Clare. I don’t always go about it the right way, but you belong with me. I love you.”

“No, you don’t,” she scoffed. 

“You’ve been in my head!” he shot back at her. “Just because I don’t think the same way you do, or act the way pretty boy Yancy does doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

“Fine, Colin,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “You love me, in your own twisted, demented way. Can’t you see that even though I care about you, I don’t want this?”

“Oh, I do,” he said, laughing. He took a step closer to her and put a hand against her cheek. “I’ve been in your head, too, you know. You more than just care about me, and I just refuse to give up on us.” 

Clare sighed because she knew he would never give up. And what was worse, he was right. She _did_ love him. She didn’t want to, but she just couldn’t help it sometimes. 

“C’mon,” she said to Colin, linking arms with him. 

“Where are we going?” he asked. 

“I suddenly find myself craving leftover pizza,” she told him, as his face lit up with that thousand-watt smile of his.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during during Act II, Legacy DLC. Carver is still in Kirkwall. He is not a Templar, nor a Warden. Just because.

**CHAPTER TWO**

Carver followed his sister, Merrill and Varric along a path toward an abandoned ruin.

“We’re here,” Varric said, as they all looked at the valley spread out below them.

“That’s it?” Carver said, unimpressed. 

“That’s it,” Varric confirmed. “The Carta is a guild of criminals and smugglers, usually decently smart ones. I don’t know why they’d attack either of you.” 

“They gave it their best shot. I still can’t believe they snuck into my room at the Hanged Man,” Carver said. 

He had tried living at the Hawke estate with his sister, but it just didn’t work out. Their constant arguing had driven their mother mad. 

“Don’t feel too special, little brother. They tried to kill me, too,” Marian said. 

“What in the Void do they want?” Carver asked, shaking his head at his sister. 

“That’s what we’re here to find out,” his sister said pointedly. 

“I hope you have a plan,” Varric said. “Something about this is just… strange.” 

“Strange how? It’s just the Carta,” Marian said. “Business as usual, right?” 

“My contacts in the Carta have never heard of this place. To them, it doesn’t exist. A big blind spot on the map. Bianca’s never been this suspicious, and she’s twitchy to start with.”

“Maybe someone just forgot to mark it. There has to be a reason they’re out here, though,” Merrill said, joining the conversation. “Other than the fact that they’re trying to kill you, of course.”

“Of course,” Marian said, smiling at her fellow mage. 

“I hope you’re right, Daisy,” Varric said. “Maybe we should-” he stopped and was watching the sky. “What in the Fade is that?” 

Carver turned around and searched for what Varric was talking about. A glint caught his eye as the sun reflected off something in the sky. 

It was a metal golem, falling out of the sodding sky. As it grew nearer, he started to realize the true size of the thing. It was massive. Had the dwarves sent it after him and his sister? 

It landed with the force of a thousand lightning strikes, scattering rocks, sand and earth in every direction. Slowly, it rose out of the hole it had landed in and walked toward them. It stopped just short of the ruins they were standing on. 

It towered above them, easily being twice as tall as any building in Kirkwall or tree in the forest. Carver withdrew his sword, a pathetically underwhelming gesture against an enemy it’s size. 

He looked back at his sister and saw that she was frozen in fear, as was Merrill. He shouted to Varric to handle the elf, and then he grabbed his sister, planning to retreat off the platform. 

Hearing a thundering racket, Carver paused and turned to see the enormous golem fold itself up into a crouching position. After several long moments, the head was all but level with the ground. A hiss sounded, and a hatch opened on top of the head. 

In fascination, Carver watched as two people climbed out of the head and down a rope ladder they had just thrown out. Their armor was a bit strange, but at this point, nothing seemed more strange than the monstrous machine that they had just climbed out of. 

The strangers walked up the steps of the ruins toward them. They had no visible weapons, but Carver wasn’t going to take any chances. He held his sword at the ready and stood between them and his sister. 

“Hello,” one greeted, as he removed his helmet. He smoothed his hair back, fixing the disarray caused by the helmet. He looked similar to Carver with dark hair and blue eyes, but he was perhaps a bit older. He started to say something else, but stopped when he noticed his partner struggling to remove their helmet. 

He assisted, and finally the helmet came free. 

“I _really_ hate these fucking things sometimes,” his partner said, who happened to be a woman. 

Her hair was pulled into a thick braid which hung just past her shoulders. It was a deep, rich brown, as were her eyes. 

“Yes, well, if you wouldn’t insist on tucking your hair up inside the helmet, it wouldn’t get caught, now would it?” he said patronizing her. She rolled her eyes at him, and then ignored him. 

Marian, being the leader she was, stepped forward to greet them. 

“Can we help you?” she asked cautiously. 

“I’m Ranger O’Tierney and this is Ranger Lewalski, or Colin and Clare, Jaeger pilots of _Inferno Titan_. We attempted a pass through the breach, but obviously, something went wrong,” he said, smiling. “If you wouldn’t mind telling us where we are, or letting us use a phone? We had no communication signal inside when we landed.”

 _What?_ Carver hadn’t understood a sodding word that he had just said, though none of it seemed to have been said in malice. 

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marian said. 

“Can you at least tell us where the fuck we are?” the woman, Clare, asked.

“About five miles outside of Kirkwall,” Varric answered. “Why? Where are you supposed to be?” 

“Kirkwall?” Colin asked, sounding very confused. 

“Of the Free Marches,” Varric continued. There still didn’t appear to be any sign of recognition on either of their faces. “Of Thedas?” 

“You guys don’t happen to know anyone who’s trying to take over worlds by wiping them out with two and half thousand ton lizards, do you?” Clare asked them. 

“Um, no?” Merrill answered timidly. 

Maker’s bloody balls, who _were_ these people?

 

The two Rangers exchanged a look. 

“I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not possible,” Colin said to Clare. 

“It’s not, really? How the fuck else do you explain it?” Clare rebutted. “‘Cause we’re in the middle of what appears to be a goddamn Renaissance Fair.”

“We’ve got to get our coms back online,” Colin said, as he turned and hurried for their giant machine. 

“Fuck me twice on Sunday,” Clare muttered, as she turned to follow her partner. 

“Now, hold on just a moment!” Marian shouted. “I’d like to know what’s going on. We have no idea who you are, where you came from, or what _that_ ,” she pointed to the golem “is!”

“That,” Clare said, also pointing, as she marched back up the steps. “Is the Jaeger _Inferno Titan_. He has now gotten us through eight fucking drops and killed five fucking kaiju, two of them being category three.”

“Andraste’s flaming ass, what in the Void are you talking about?” Carver asked. “Are you trying to tell us that you’re from another sodding world?” 

“They’re clearly not from around here, Junior,” Varric said with a chuckle. “Now, be a good boy and let the pretty lady tell us her story. Slowly, so that I can take notes.” Carver shook his head in disbelief. 

“Our world has been invaded by giant reptiles, called kaiju. Now, when I say giant, I mean _giiiiant_. Several even dwarf the _Titan_ here,” she said, pointing behind her once again. “We started the Jaeger program to help fight and defend against the kaiju because what we had before may as well have been sticks and stones.”

“That seems rather aggressive,” Merrill said. “Couldn’t you just ask the kaiju nicely to go away?” 

“The first kaiju that came through the Breach… he rampaged up the coast for thirty-five miles, taking out _everything_. Tens of thousands died before we could take him out, and, trust me, we barely did without a Jaeger. They’re hell bent on destruction. And they keep coming, one after a-fucking-nother.”

“That’s so awful!” Merrill said dramatically. “How did you kill it without your Jaeger?”

“We ended up using nukes on it, but it took more than one. It sacrificed the city,” Clare said, a hint of sadness in her voice. 

“So then you built these things?” Marian asked her. 

“No. We thought it was a freak accident at first. I mean, giant fucking lizard, right? Even after the second one. But then, after the fourth, we started building these babies, and they’ve been keeping our planet safe ever since.” she said, a proud smile on her face. 

“We’re banjaxed,” Colin said, as he returned. “The communication system is completely down. I’m not even getting white noise.”

“We can’t call for help, and we can’t go get help. What the hell are we supposed to do?” Clare said, clearly stressed. 

“Drink?” Colin suggested, laughing nervously. “Heavily, perhaps?”

 

“I think we can be of some assistance,” Varric said. “We need to get into the fortress over there. Clear the way for us in that shiny Jaeger of yours and we’ll owe you one.”

“What’s in the fortress?” Colin asked. 

“The Carta, we hope,” Varric told him. Then he added, “A group of unlawful dwarves that have been trying to kill my friend, here, and her brother. We’re trying to find out why.” 

“So, we clear out some naughty dwarves. And then what?” Clare asked. 

“And then we help you. Whatever you need. Place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear. Job, entertainment, you name it,” Varric said. “You help us out of this jam, and we’ll help you until you figure out a way home.”

Colin and Clare looked at each other and shrugged. 

“Why not?” Colin said. “Do you really think the Jaeger is necessary for this Carta business? It seems like overkill.”

“Damn right it’s overkill, but it’ll be hilarious to watch,” Varric said. 

They nodded, and then went and climbed into their machine. Carver covered his ears as the Jaeger powered on. It roared to life, shaking the ground violently as it walked away.

“You’re sure about this, Varric?” Marian asked the dwarf, once they could hear again. It was evident that she didn’t share in Varric’s enthusiasm.

“Of course not, but it’ll be fun.” 

Ahead of them, Carver could hear the distant clang of metal on metal as the Jaeger continued making its way toward the fortress, occasionally stopping to swat at the random dwarf. 

“Do you think we can trust them?” his sister asked him. 

“As sodding ridiculous as it sounds, I think this is too unbelievable to be anything but the truth,” he told her. “I’m not as excited as Varric, but I’m pretty sure we don’t want them as our enemies.” 

They trekked on, encountering remnant Carta members along the road. They were shouting about needing blood for blood, and blood of the Hawke. They failed to get anything _sane_ from them before they were attacked.

“‘Blood of the Hawke’,” Carver repeated, as they pressed on. “Perhaps they had purpose in attacking us after all. What’s so special about our blood?”

“How would I know?” Marian asked, snippily. 

Carver was about to start arguing with her when a horn sounded, deafening everyone. 

“Um, guys? Friendly family chat later, maybe?” Varric suggested. 

Up ahead, the Jaeger had engaged in combat. Carver watched as it bent down and picked up two fistfuls of a crumbling brick wall. It raised its fists up and then let the bricks rain down, killing Maker knows how many dwarves. 

“Let’s go,” Marian said, taking off at a run. 

“Could someone please tell me why we’re running _toward_ the giant metal smashy man?” Merrill asked. 

“Because we’re responsible for whatever damage it does!” Marian shouted. She skidded to a halt as they came up on the Jaeger kneeling in the gateway of a stadium. Dwarves were trying to climb the walls to get out of the stadium, but the Jaeger was just swiping at them, knocking them back into the center of the arena. 

A crackling, muffled sound came from the Jaeger. 

“You’re not going anywhere. Knock it off, or we’ll drill you into the ground,” Colin’s voice boomed across the arena. As he said it, the Jaeger’s right hand clanked and folded back on the arm. A giant drill head came spinning out of the arm, replacing the palm and fingers. 

“Screw the drill. Heat cannon the fucknuts,” Clare’s voice boomed out as she spoke to her partner. He apparently agreed with her, because the head of the drill slowly opened, showing molten heat inside.

Marian climbed up the nearest staircase and addressed the dwarves. 

“I am Marian Hawke!” she shouted over the noise of the Jaeger. “What do you want from me?” 

Carver climbed the steps to join his sister. Maker’s balls, there were probably two to three hundred dwarves in the stadium. They wouldn’t have made it to the fortress alive, unless the dwarves _needed_ them alive when they took their blood. He shuddered at the thought. 

The dwarves seemed to forget that the Jaeger was there as soon as they saw him and Marian. Several started murmuring ‘blood of the Hawke’ as they, en mass, rushed toward them. 

Instinctively, Carver grabbed his sister, preparing to pull her down off the platform. 

“Wait,” she said, as the horn sounded on the Jaeger once more, shifting the dwarves attention back to it. Marian made a throat slitting gesture, and before the dwarves could blink, lava poured from the drill.

There were a few dwarves that somehow managed to escape the deadly lava. They skirted around the kneeling Jaeger and were making a run for it. Carver jumped from the platform, sword in hand. 

“I’m ready and waiting, let’s see what you have!” he shouted, as the dwarves rushed him. He struck down any that tried to run past him, while his sister, Merrill and Varric assailed from above. 

When the fight was over, and all the dwarves were dead, the Jaeger returned to the same crouched position as earlier and Colin climbed out, joining them.

“Varric and I are going to try and sniff out survivors and see if we can get an information,” Marian said. “Thanks for your help. Without you along, that would have been the end of us.”

“It was a gas,” Colin said. “Odd fighting little, tiny things for a change.”

“We’ll be back shortly. Try to find weapons, preferably ones that aren’t melted,” Varric suggested, as he wrinkled his nose at the pile of melted dwarf corpses. 

“We should have weapons, actually. We have packs stored on the _Titan_.” He cupped his hands around his mouth and called up to his partner. “CLARE! GRAB THE EMERGENCY PACKS BEFORE YOU COME DOWN!” 

She waved at him to let him know that she had heard him. Moments later, she was descending the ladder with two packs on her back. 

When she neared the end of the ladder, Carver went to help her. He gently touched one of her legs, which startled her. She shrieked and kicked out at him, losing her grip on the ladder. They fell in a jumbled mess to the ground. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she exclaimed, standing up, dropping the packs. 

“I was trying to help you,” Carver said, agitated. 

“You’re lucky I didn’t kick you in the face and break your fucking nose,” she said, standing up. 

“Yeah, and lucky that I was here to break your fall,” he complained. 

“My chivalrous Tinman,” Clare said, regaining her composure and offering him her hand. He took it, and she hefted him back onto his feet. 

“Your what?” Carver said, confused. 

“What’s going on?” Colin asked as he approached them, Merrill behind him. “Did you get the packs?” 

“I did, but they’re not marked. I have no idea which one is which,” she said, kicking one over to him. 

“What’s in the bags?” Merrill asked, inquisitively. 

“Just things we thought we’d need in an emergency, or if were stranded somewhere. Like food rations, basic medical supplies, weapons, change of clothes. Shit like that,” Clare said as she opened the bag in front of her. 

“Well, that’s handy, isn’t it? Since you’ve been stranded somewhere?” Merrill said. 

“Don’t think you can plan for this kind of stranded,” Clare said. “Looks like I got your bag, Colin” she said hauling it over to him.

“I assumed as much,” he said, with an amused grin on his face. 

 

“What?” she asked. 

He pulled a set of women’s undergarments out of the bag he had opened. 

“Ooh, those are quite pretty,” Merrill said. 

Carver couldn’t disagree. Images of Clare lying on a bed wearing nothing but the undergarments suddenly flashed through his brain. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts before they betrayed him. 

“Exactly what emergency is a lace thong and matching bra for?” Colin asked. 

“Sweet Mary Mother of fuck,” she said. “Do you have any idea how long ago I packed this thing? I probably had extra room. What else did I pack?” 

She started rummaging through her pack and pulled out a small object with a cord wrapped around it. 

“Oh my God, my old MP3 player!” she said, unwrapping the cord. 

“Oh, yes, that will be useful,” Colin said, rolling his eyes. She reached into her bag again and pulled out another small package. 

“I even packed batteries!” she exclaimed. She opened the package and fumbled with the items in her hands for a moment before smiling at her success. She put the cords in her ears and then turned the device on. “It still fucking works!” she squealed in excitement. 

“How _old_ is that thing, if it runs on double-ay batteries?” Colin asked. She ignored him, turning away from him, dancing and singing. “You and that bloody pop crap!” he yelled at her. She apparently didn’t hear. 

“It’s clear up to the fortress,” Marian said as she and Varric returned. “What is she _doing_?” she asked, watching Clare sing and dance. 

“Reliving her glory years,” Colin said, laughing. He went and tapped her on the shoulder, pulling a cord out of her ear. She turned, and seeing Marian, smiled apologetically. 

“It’s clear up to the fortress. From there, we’re not sure what’s next,” Marian repeated. “Not sure how long we’ll be gone, but you’re welcome to wait for us to return, or join us if you’ll be useful.”

“I think we’ll manage to keep up,” Colin said, winking at Marian. 

“Alright then,” she said. “Did you manage to find your weapons?” 

“Ah, yes,” Colin said, turning back to the packs on the ground. He rummaged in the pack that he had said belonged to Clare and pulled out two daggers and a chain. “These are yours I believe, my lady,” he said, handing them to her. 

“Please tell me I packed my fucking belt,” she said.

“Here,” Colin said, thrusting a piece of black leather at her. She buckled the belt around her waist. She placed the chain in a pouch on the belt, and then sheathed the knives. 

Carver knew a skilled rogue, such as Isabela, was deadly with her twin blades, but these didn’t look dangerous at all. They weren’t even sharp. 

She went over to the other pack and withdrew a thin sword in a scabbard with a belt attached. She tossed it to Colin, who caught it easily and secured it around his waist. 

“Which one is that?” she asked him, as he pulled the blade out and inspected it. 

It was hardly any thicker than his thumb. It at least looked more like a proper sword, appearing to be sharp. Carver couldn’t help but think that they were going to slow them down. 

“Looks like the one I got from winning the Yūki no Kokoro International Championship in twenty-fifteen,” He said, sliding it back into its sheath. “You were robbed at that competition.”

“Yeah, by you, taint jockey!” Clare said, laughing, tossing a small black pouch at him, which he caught easily. “Those are your shuriken.” 

“You actually plan to fight, and not die, with those weapons?” Carver asked, unable to contain his skepticism anymore. He took out his sword as demonstration, put the tip in the dirt and leaned on it. 

“I could beat you,” Colin said easily. 

“Colin,” Clare chided. 

“What, I could! This molly thinks his sword makes him so strong, when, clearly, it’s his sister that does the real fighting,” he said. 

“Says the guy who’s currently wearing a suit he can pee in,” Clare mocked. 

“The sodding point still stands,” Carver said, through gritted teeth. “Neither of you seem all that capable of defending yourselves. Those things you call weapons are-”

“Carver, perhaps we should give them a chance?” Marian said, interrupting him. She was also giving him a bit of a glare. 

“Demonstrate for them,” Colin suggested to Clare. She started to protest but he stopped her. “Just whirl your chain around a bit.”

She sighed loudly and pulled her chain out of the pouch on her belt. She held it in both hands, and began to twirl it in short, overhand circles. It was moving _fast_. If it struck anyone, it would definitely leave a bruise, or possibly worse. 

Carver watched as she moved with the chain. She used her body to modify the path of the whip, wrapping it around her neck and shoulder. 

Clare then let the chain slide through her hands far enough to strike out at a rock face, spraying fragments everywhere. Varric was standing too close to the rock, and ended up with a face full of dust. 

“Holy ass, Varric! Are you okay?” she asked, rushing to the dwarf’s side. He chuckled at her attention. 

“Quite alright,” he said. “Far better than that rock.” They all turned and looked at the rock, which was now gravel. 

“What do you say now, brother?” Marian said to Carver with a smirk on her face. 

Carver thought it would be best to just keep his mouth shut. 

“She’s just as good with her sai,” Colin said. “Bloody fast with them, she is.” 

“Colin’s won pretty much every competition he’s entered. Bastard beats me nearly every time we spar,” Clare said, smirking at Colin. 

“You’d win more if you took more risks. You’re on the defensive too much,” Colin said. “Then again, maybe you’re just lacking because you were a stripper.” 

“I did _not_ work at a strip club!” Clare yelled at him, chucking her whip at his head. He ducked, laughing. The chain soared over him, and hit Carver square on his breastplate. 

“Shit, sorry,” Clare said. 

Carver couldn’t help but be simultaneously annoyed and amused that she did not rush to him with the same concern that she had Varric. He bent down and picked it up, and walked toward her to return it. 

Clare held her hand out expectantly. Carver placed it in her hand, but didn’t let go immediately. 

“If you throw this at me again, I’ll keep it, and the only way you’ll get it back is when you untie it from your wrists,” he said in a low voice.

Her breath hitched. He looked up from their hands to her face and saw her eyes darken ever so slightly. He let go of the chain and walked away from her. 

“Did I miss something dirty again?” Merrill asked. 

“No, Merrill,” Carver said, smirking at Clare. 

“You can leave your packs here,” Marian said, gesturing behind some rocks. “We’ll pick them up on our way back.” 

Clare and Colin deposited their bags as directed and then they all headed inside the fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post two chapters initially because the first chapter had no Dragon Age-ness. Hopefully it's a good start. I plan to post weekly from this point on.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

They made their way through the fortress without much excitement, probably because every evil dwarf in existence had been out in stadium. Or so Clare assumed. How many dwarves could this world have?

Once, Clare almost impaled herself on about twenty-something pikes when she accidently triggered a trap. Carver snatched her back just in time, but not without making some sort of snarky comment. 

As they continued through the basement of the fortress, Marian kept finding scrolls which mentioned Blood of the Hawke. The scrolls mentioned a key Malcolm Hawke, their father. Neither of them seemed to have any idea what it all meant. 

“I take it your father died some time ago?” Clare asked. 

“He did,” Marian said. “He was a mage, like my sister and me. He taught us so much about magic before he passed away.” She paused for a moment, and then added, “I miss him.”

“I lost my dad a while back,” Colin said. “Only thing that got me through it was this beautiful creature.” 

He put his arm around Clare’s shoulders and bent to nuzzle her neck. 

“You two are so cute together,” Merrill said. “I didn’t realize that you were a couple.” 

“Are we?” Colin said, looking rather pleased with himself. Clare turned and glared at him. 

“You lost your dad at a fucking football game because you left at half-time with some skanky, cuntfaced cheerleader,” she complained. 

“And if you hadn’t gone and picked him up for me, I might have never seen him again,” Colin said, smirking. “By the way, you’re cute when you’re jealous.” 

“Yeah, well. You’re an ass whenever you open your mouth.”

“He’ll make lots of friends in Kirkwall, then,” Marian said. 

“So boys are stupid here, too?” Clare asked her. 

She and Marian looked at each other for a few seconds before they both broke into giggles. 

“What did I miss?” Colin asked. 

“I have no clue,” Carver said. 

“Boys aren’t any more or less stupid than girls are, are they?” Merrill said. 

“I’ll explain it to you later, Daisy,” Varric said. “But I think Fenris is in the shithouse right now.” 

“Fenris? Why? What did he do?” Merrill asked innocently. 

Marian, no longer giggling, stiffened up and quickly walked away from the group. Varric cursed under his breath and hurried after her, trying to keep up. 

Everyone followed, and soon they heard Varric and Marian talking to someone up ahead. 

“Manners, Varric,” Marian said. “Introduce me to your lunatic friend.”

“Hawke, this is Gerav. He’s a greedy, brilliant, bastard son of a nug from the Carta,” Varric said. “Gerav, Hawke… the one whose blood you want to drink, or bathe in or whatever. But, if you’re after eternal youth, I’ve gotta tell you. She’s no virgin.”

Clare saw Carver shudder of the corner of her eye. 

“The master is calling. He needs the blood,” Gerav said. 

“What the fuck is wrong with his eyes?” Clare asked. They were glassed over and foggy looking. 

“Varric, do you want to spare this bastard?” Marian asked him. 

“Not if he’s after you and Junior, Hawke,” Varric said, as he pulled his crossbow off his back. He aimed and took a shot, but Gerav disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 

“Ah, dear. Why doesn't anyone ever want to be nice to us?” Merrill cried.

Next to her, Clare heard Carver withdraw his massive two-handed sword. He stepped in front of her, as if he were instinctively protecting her. He wasn’t serious, was he? 

She smiled to herself, and then used his back to vault herself into a complicated and showy flip. She passed over him, and withdrew her sai as she landed. She turned and looked at him over her shoulder, giving him a roguish smile. 

“Show-off,” Colin said, from her left. 

She laughed out loud, and engaged one of the dwarves in combat. She got behind him and pinned his sword against his chest, holding it in place with her sai. Marian sent a fatal spell toward them, killing the dwarf. 

Once all the dwarves were dead, Varric walked over to the body of the one he had known. He didn’t say anything for awhile, but eventually stood up and said, “Let’s go.” 

Clare picked up one of her sai, but didn’t see the other. 

“Here,” Carver said, handing her the missing one. 

“Thanks,” she said, taking it gently from him. She slipped them both into her belt and fell into step beside him. 

“You _are_ bloody fast with those things,” he said, breaking the short silence. 

Clare beamed at him. 

“I’ve never seen a rogue that moves like you,” Carver said. 

“You mean the flip?” Clare said, as Carver nodded. “I did gymnastics as a kid for years, and then always excelled at forms in martial arts competitions.” 

“I have no idea what any of that meant.” 

Clare laughed. 

“It means I make it look good, while still being fucking efficient,” she teased. 

They continued on, and came upon another group of dwarves and a human. He was apparently a mage, like Marian and Merrill, because he used some kind of spell and knocked Clare flat on her ass. She tried to get up, but saw stars, and then passed out. 

She came to when the fighting was over. Merrill had her head in her lap and an empty bottle in her hands. 

“Thank the Creators you’re alright!” she said, obviously pleased that Clare had woken up on her own. 

“What the dick happened?” she asked, sitting up slowly. 

“You were hit by a force spell,” Marian said, her lips a thin, tight line. “I’m sorry. You have no experience with mages, so I should have dispelled him.” 

“No, it’s alright,” Clare said, trying to stand up. She was successful, but probably only because of Merrill’s help. 

“Perhaps I wasn’t wrong when I claimed that you might be unprepared to fight against our enemies?” Carver said, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Colin snickered. 

“I _definitely_ fucking underestimated things!” Clare agreed. “I’ll be more careful, now that I know what spells can do. Son of a whore, that hurt!”

“Here, have another potion,” Merrill said, slipping another small bottle out of her bag. 

“No no, I’ll be fine. I’m just complaining, loudly. Sometimes that’s the best medicine,” Clare said. 

“I’ve always heard that laughter is the best medicine,” Varric said. 

“Whoever says that is a shitstain,” Clare said grumpily. “Hey, how did you escape the wrath of mage?” she asked Colin, noticing he had gotten away unscathed. 

“I was fighting the four or five dwarves over there,” he said, pointing to the opposite side of the room. He grinned at her as though he was going to tease her, but instead he came over and gave her a hug. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, as he planted a kiss on her temple. 

“I’m fine, I promise,” she said, leaning on him for a second. He squeezed her, holding her close. That was his quick and silent way of saying that he had been worried about her, and it made her smile. 

“How long was I out?” Clare asked when they separated. 

“Not long,” Varric answered. “I was picking the lock on the gate over there while Merrill was trying to get you to wake up. You woke up before I was done.”

“Are we ready to go?” Marian asked. 

“Yeah, I just need my-” Clare said, looking for her weapons. Carver cleared his throat and then thrust them toward her. “Thanks,” she said, laughing. He just couldn’t keep his hands off her prongs. 

They headed through the gate and immediately came face to face with an armored dwarf and his pet dino. 

“Hawke,” he said. “They told me you were going to be trouble. And look, you brought the whole family. How generous.”

Marian cast a quick look around at their enemies and then gave commands. 

“Carver, keep the bronto busy. Merrill and Varric, kill the bronto as quickly as you can. I’ll freeze and distract the dwarf and then we’ll all switch to him once that bronto’s down,” she commanded. Everyone nodded. She turned to Clare and Colin. 

“I’m putting a lot of faith into you two,” she said. “All those archers up there will take us out before we can do anything. Clare, take the East side, Colin the South. They _have_ to be on you, and not on us or we don’t stand a chance.

Colin winked at her and said, “As my lady commands.” 

Clare and Colin both rushed the stairs. Clare heard as Colin zinged stars at the archers on his side, every one of them hitting its target. 

Below, Carver whistled at the bronto as he withdrew his sword. It charged for him but missed as he jumped out of the way at the last second.

Clare took the chain the pouch on her belt and started spinning it next to her. She had only used it during showy routines for competitions. Getting to use it now in real combat was going to be a fucking blast. As long as she didn’t die first. 

She managed to kill two of the archers and had the others backed into a corner. She killed two more with her sai as the last one jumped over the railing. Varric saw him, and loosened a volley of bolts, taking him down. 

Clare looked over at Colin. He had just killed his final assailant with his katana. He flashed her a dazzling smile, and then pointed to the fight below them. He raced down the steps to help finish off the bronco-thingy.

Marian had done a damn good job of keeping the dwarf in frozen in place. Now that all the other targets were dead, everyone switched to him. 

Varric sent another volley of bolts straight at him, all of them hitting their mark. Carver charged in, but the dwarf blocked him, sending him sprawling to the dirt. 

The dwarf broke free from the ice and lunged forward, grabbing one of Colin’s arms and nearly ripping it out of its socket. Colin screamed in pain, dropping his sword. He clutched his injured arm to his side and backed away. 

The dwarf swung his sword over his head in a devastating arc. Merrill and Marian were both firing spells, and Varric was sinking all his arrows into him, but they weren’t doing enough. His sword was going to cut Carver in half long before they killed him. 

Knowing it really fucking stupid, Clare pulled a flare gun out of the pouch on her belt. She pulled the hammer back and then fired it right at the dwarf’s face. 

She fucking missed. The flare got stuck under one of his pauldrons and caught fire, though, so whatever, it worked. 

The dwarf panicked and dropped his sword. Carver scrambled to his feet and swung his sword. Marian had just landed a freezing spell, so the sword hit shattered the dwarf into a thousand tiny ice shards. 

Clare was still standing there with the flare gun in her hand, pointed at where their enemy had just been. Carver walked toward her, sheathing his sword. 

“Hey,” she said, nonchalantly. 

“Hey,” Carver said, in the same tone. Then they both burst into laughter. “I can’t believe you set a sodding dwarf on fire!” he said. 

“I can’t believe you played Red Rover with a fucking rhinoceros!” she said. She dropped the flare gun on the floor since it was useless now.

“Wh _at_?” Carver said sounding very confused. 

Clare heard a grunt behind them, and she turned to see Colin, who leaning up against a wall on his good shoulder.

“That,” he said with a shaky breath. “Was really fucking stupid.”

“And really fucking lucky,” Clare said. “How’s the arm?” 

“Dislocated,” he answered, gritting his teeth. 

“Owww,” Clare said sympathetically. “You want to hold on to Carver while I pop it into place?” 

“I’d rather you show me your diddies while someone else pops it back in,” Colin said. She sighed. 

“Alright, fine,” she sighed. 

“Really?” Colin said, perking up a bit.

“Colin, I hate seeing you in pain. If anything I can do will help you through this-”

Colin yelled in pain as Carver popped his shoulder back into place. He kicked a wall, and then rubbed his shoulder, moving it around, checking his range of motion. 

“Better?” Clare asked him. He glared at her. 

“You were never going to show me your boobs, were you?” he asked. 

“Please, you’ve seen them. And I’m not a fucking stripper, assbag,” she said. “It distracted you, though. Come here.” She took him into her arms, hugging him comfortingly. 

He wrapped his arms around her and splayed his hands across her back. He rested his head against hers and she felt him breathe in the scent of her hair. 

They stayed like for several long, quiet moments, getting completely lost in each other’s presence. 

When you drift with someone, things start going unsaid. Sometimes, it’s because it’s easier to ignore the problems. But sometimes, it’s because they don’t need to be said. You already know, because you feel the same way. 

“I miss you,” he said. She smiled against him. 

“I’m right here,” she said quietly. 

“You know what I mean,” he murmured into her hair. 

“I know,” she admitted. “I miss you, too. It’s weird knowing we may never drift again.”

“Drift?” Carver asked. 

Clare had almost forgotten there were other people around. She reluctantly pulled away from Colin. 

“It’s how we pilot the Jaegers,” she explained. “It takes two of us because they’re so massive. Technology was developed to use two brains to pilot them. When the brains connect, it’s called the Drift.”

“Wait, so you…. what?” Carver asked. 

“I controlled the left side, she controlled the right side. Together, we made a whole Jaeger, so to speak. The Drift puts us in one mind. Two bodies, one mind.” Colin explained. 

“So, you were inside each other’s minds?” Carver asked. 

“All the time,” Colin said, smiling at her. 

“There’s every chance that we’ll never pilot the Jaeger again. It’s just weird to spend so much time in someone else’s head and then suddenly… nothing,” Clare said. 

Carver looked as though someone had just told him his puppy laid eggs. Clare was unsure whether or not to follow him and try and explain more.

“What the-” Marian said, as she searched the dead dwarf’s body. She shrieked and jumped back when she touched a staff he had on his person. When she touched it, it glowed brightly. 

“Sister!” Carver yelled. “Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine, Carver,” she said. “It… I think it was father’s. It must be that key those scrolls mentioned,” Marian said. 

“What a strange place to keep a key,” Merrill said. “What do you think it opens?” 

“The way to Corypheus,” Marian said, pointing toward what seemed to be the last of the Carta forces running down a hallway. She gestured that they should follow, and took off at a run after them.

They chased the dwarves further underground and through a stone hallway. Clare thought she heard the dwarves _behind_ them when, suddenly, the doorway they had just passed through sealed over. 

“Maker’s tits,” Varric muttered under his breath. “They’ve trapped us down here.”

“Then we find another way out,” Marian said. “There.”

She pointed at another door at the other end of the hallway. She walked forward, as if with a purpose, and kicked it down. Inside, several hulking creatures were feeding on corpses. 

“What the ball sack are those?!” Clare yelped, as she tried to back away from one of the monsters, which had abandoned it’s snack and was now coming after her. 

Colin laughed at her, and then just sidestepped the one that was headed straight for her. 

“Are you always such a sodding ass?” Carver shouted at Colin as he rushed to Clare’s position. He brought his sword down across the horror’s back, stopping it from running her over. 

“They’re genlocks,” he told her, pulling his sword back to deliver another blow. “Darkspawn.”

“They’re huge!” she said, taking her chain from the pouch on her belt. She jumped back to get distance, and then struck out at the genlock.

“You’ve just gotten used to the dwarves!” Carver teased. 

As their genlock fell, Clare heard a scuffle behind her. She turned to see the final genlock collapse. Varric holstered his crossbow, Bianca, and then grunted. 

“Ugh, I think I got blood on my coat,” he said, making a disgusted face at the stain. 

“So, Darkspawn?” Clare asked, putting the chain back in her pouch. 

“Darkspawn are tainted creatures, and if you come into contact with them, you can become affected by the taint,” Marian explained. 

“So zombies, great,” Clare said. 

“Not quite. A zombie can’t infect you just by contact,” Colin commented. “Traditionally, they have to bite you to become infected.” 

“The fuck? Are you a zombologist now?” Clare asked him with a derisive snort. 

“I’m not sure what a zombie is, but, make sure to stay clear of the darkspawn. Ranged attacks whenever you can. Avoid touching their blood whenever possible,” Marian told them. 

“Well, that sounds like more fun than I can fucking handle,” Clare said, rubbing her temples. “I thought aircraft carrier sized lizards would be the weirdest I’d ever see.”

“It gets worse,” Varric said. “Especially hanging out with us. I have a manual back at the Hanged Man. ‘Intro to Eerie: Traveling with Hawke’.” He smiled at Marian, earning himself a glare.

They continued through a maze of hallways and eventually came to a bridge when a hobo approached them. 

“The key! The dwarves look and dig, dig and look… How did you find the key?” he said. 

“You mean this? What exactly does it unlock?” Marian asked, taking her father’s staff off its holster and holding it out in front of her. 

“Seals through the heart,” he said, twitching a bit.

“This guy sounds like he’s a few twigs short of a fire,” Varric muttered. 

“Fire, yes. You have magic, I can see it now,” the old man said. 

“Let me guess, you want to drink my blood, too?” she asked. 

“Blood? Are you the Hawke?” he asked. He turned and looked behind him, contemplating something. “Yes, I can show you out.”

“Who _are_ you? What’s wrong with you?” Marian asked abruptly. 

“I’m the one that belongs here, not you. You are no darkspawn,” he answered, as if the question had been offensive. 

“His armor is Grey Warden issue,” Varric said. 

“I know the way out, follow me! Down and in, down and in. You must find the seals.” He walked away from them and disappeared around a corner. 

“We’re sodding mad if we follow him,” Carver said. 

“We’re sodding lost if we do anything else,” Clare said beside him, mimicking his accent. Carver turned and gave her a peculiar look. 

“What?” she said in defense. “Even if he _is_ leading us into a trap... if it’s a trap with stairs, then fucking woo.”

“I have to side with the woo,” Varric said. 

“I do like to woo,” Merrill said happily. Carver chuckled and shook his head. 

“We really don’t have another option,” Marian said. “Fucking woo it is then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve lost my beta reader. For the time being, I’m just gonna have to go without. I apologize for any typos or mistakes that make it through.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Carver rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around the enormous room. They had arrived at what appeared to be the first seal and were trying to discern what to do. 

“I’m supposed to use this staff… the key on the seal?” Marian guessed. 

“You think I have any sodding clue? You’re the mage,” Carver said. He had made it clear that he didn’t trust the Warden, but he had been outvoted. 

His sister sighed, and approached the seal with their father’s staff withdrawn. The staff glowed, and the seal took it from her hands. An enormous fire demon was released from the seal, roaring to life as Marian backed away quickly.

“The seals are prisons!” Merrill yelled in surprise.

“Apparently so,” Carver shouted back. “Be ready, he’s gaining power fast!”

“I’m really starting to hate your fucking planet,” Clare grumbled from behind him. 

“I thought you were used to giant monsters?” Varric quipped. “The bigger the better!” 

“Only if I’m in a three-hundred foot tall robot!” she shouted back. 

Carver glanced back at her and saw how pale she was. He started to say something, but before he could, Colin was at her side. He unsheathed her weapons and placed them in her hands and nodded to her. She nodded back, regaining her composure. 

“Let’s do this,” Varric said. “Bianca, baby, introduce yourself!” He had his crossbow in hand and fired a blur of bolts into the demon. 

Carver rushed forward and taunted the demon, trying to keep its attention centered on him. He was the only one wearing plate armor, so he was the only one who could take a direct hit and (hopefully) live. He just had to keep the demon angry and focused on him so that the others could assault it from afar. 

The demon fell rather quickly, and without much trouble. The old Warden crept back into the room and spoke to them. 

“This must have been the first seal,” Marian said to him. “You could have warned me they were prisons.” 

“Two thousand years, the magic holds. Cannot be broken,” he said. “Only the key.” 

“You’ve helped us for no apparent reason. I appreciate it, but I’d like to know who to thank,” Marian said. 

“I was La- Larius… So long, I had nearly forgotten.” He turned and looked behind him, suddenly spooked. “What waits there?” As quickly and suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone. 

“Is he getting stranger?” Carver asked.

“He must be down here because of The Calling,” Varric murmured to Marian. She seemed to agree. 

“Calling?” Clare asked. 

“It’s a Warden thing,” Varric answered. “The end of their service. A very unpleasant, unspoken of end. He’s basically slowly and painfully turning into a darkspawn.”

“He’s going to become one of those things?” Colin said, appalled. “We probably shouldn’t be letting him wander around if he’s going to be dangerous.”

“I don’t think he could hurt a butterfly,” Merrill said. 

“Of course he couldn’t, Daisy. There are no butterflies in the Deep Roads,” Varric told her. 

“Yeah, now, but he’s going to be all ‘braaaaaaaaains’ later,” Clare jeered. 

“Wardens don’t actually turn into darkspawn,” Varric said. “When a Warden hears the Calling, they go into the Deep Roads alone. They wander around until the Darkspawn find them, and then they take as many out as they can before they’re eventually overwhelmed.” 

“Then this soliders has battled worse than we have,” Colin said, his tone changed. “He deserves any help we can give him.” 

“Let’s just keep going,” Marian said quietly. She followed the path Larius had taken, and they ventured on through the Warden prison. 

On the next level down, they came across a genlock who was using two iron doors soldered together as a shield. He tromped right over the top of Carver, nearly crushing his breast plate in. 

Varric’s arrows and the mages’ spells were useless with a shield that big and heavy. Clare jumped onto a rock and then perched herself on the top of the shield and drove her sai into its neck as Colin moved behind it to strike. 

“Whew, that’s one heck of a shield,” Varric whistled once it was dead.

“I thought they were doors at first,” Merrill said.

“They are doors,” Carver said, grunting as he stood up. 

“Oh, my,” Merrill said, her face a bit pale. 

“Are you alright?” his sister asked him. 

“I’m fine,” he said, trying to adjust his armor. 

Some of it had shifted a bit when he had been stepped on, and now he was having trouble with flexibility. He finally pulled the breastplate free of his pauldrons and could move his right arm freely again. 

“There,” he said, sighing with with relief. 

They continued through the prison and came to a bridge when Carver was startled by a sudden roar. Before he could react, an ogre came tearing down the bridge, scattering the group. Carver quickly sprang back onto his feet and retrieved his sword. 

“Gather 'round me! Regroup!” he yelled. He threw a rock at the ogre, trying to catch its attention. It was focused only on the elf in rock armor, however. As he swiped at her, she slumped to the ground. 

“Blast it! Daisy got herself knocked out!” Varric yelled. 

“Get him to the other end of the bridge!” Marian yelled. “Clare, stay with Merrill!” 

Clare nodded, and ran to Merrill’s side as soon as the way was clear.

Carver lured the ogre off the bridge and they took him out there. He was a huge, stinking thing with unimpressive horns. His only feat had been that he had surprised them. 

They all went to help Merrill. Marian pulled an injury potion out of her pouch and handed it to Clare. 

“Have her drink this,” she said. “It should wake her.” 

Clare unstoppered it and put the vial to her lips, just as Merrill had done for her earlier. The liquid poured into the elf’s mouth, and soon enough her eyes fluttered open. 

“Ma serannas! Oh, that was close!” Merrill said. She sat up, and took a drink of water from her skein. 

“Glad you’re alright, Daisy,” Varric said, smiling at her. 

“Of course I’m fine,” Merrill said. “I grounded myself. I knew I would get hit hard, but I wanted to make sure I stayed on the bridge at least.” 

“That’s a good point!” Clare said, laughing. 

“I think we’re at our next seal,” Marian said. “Are you ready? Do you need a moment?” she asked Merrill. 

“I’m fine,” Merrill promised her. 

They entered the room, and, same as before, released the demon and vanquished it without much trouble. 

Larius was waiting for them just past the seal. His sister was asking about Corypheus, which apparently made Larius very nervous. He scurried off, once again forcing them to wander after him. 

The next level down was some sort of cave like swamp. The air was sticky and it smelled _awful_. Clare and Colin were apparently immune to the smell, claiming nothing smelled worse than ‘dead fucking kaiju’. 

They encountered deepstalkers; vial beasts that were small, but numerous. They spit poison and had huge mouths that could easily take off your head.

At first Clare had thought they were little dinosaurs (whatever those are), and had cooed at their cuteness. When she saw their mouths she recoiled, stabbed one repeatedly while shouting ‘fuckballs’ and once again expressed her dislike for their planet. 

The arrived at the third seal, and after defeating the demon, they attempted to ascend into the prison tower. 

Larius met them, and warned them that they didn’t have much time. 

“Say, mate. Why don’t you send us an email, with ‘No shit, Captain Obvious’ in the subject line?” Colin said. 

“ _What_?” Carver, Marian and Varric said in unison. Clare snickered. 

“No! They’re here! You must not give them they key! She wants to give Corypheus the light. You must stop her, and kill Corypheus!” Larius said, hobbling off in a hurry. 

“Who’s here-?” Marian started to ask when they heard voices. A group of Wardens approached them, talking amongst themselves. 

“How- how did you get here?” a female Warden asked. “You have the key. Are you Malcolm Hawke’s daughter? Are you the one opening the prisons?” 

“Why don’t you tell me who you are first,” Marian said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

“My name is Janeka, and I lead this unit of Grey Wardens. We are in charge of keeping this prison operational.” 

“She knows!” Larius shouted, shuffling out from the shadows suddenly. “She knows what you plan, and she will stop you.” 

“What I plan, Larius?” Janeka said. “You’ve been down here too long, with only Darkspawn in your head.” 

“What is it that you want, Janeka?” Hawke asked. “Larius wants me to kill Corypheus. Do you want something different?” 

“I do,” she said, rather bravely is Carver’s opinion. “I have been doing extensive research, our original beliefs were wrong. Corypheus is a Darkspawn that can _talk_. Killing him would be a waste! We need to use him to help rid the world of the blight once and for all.”

“And you think you have some way to control him,” Carver said in amazement. 

“I found a spell. Its methods are unconventional, but the effect will be insurmountable!” she exclaimed. 

“It doesn’t hurt to let them try,” Varric said. “If the raving, murderous, lunatic darkspawn is still a raving, murderous, lunatic darkspawn after their spell, then we’ll be there to put him down.” 

“I doubt father would have gone through all the trouble of confining Corypheus like this if he could simply cast a spell and control him,” Carver said to his sister. 

She seemed to be fighting with herself about the decision. 

“What do you two think?” she asked Colin and Clare. 

“This isn’t our area of expertise,” Clare said. Colin nodded in agreement. 

“Preliminary assessment then?” Marian asked. 

“When has anyone in the history of ever claimed to have been able to control the bad guy and been right about it? It never fucking turns out well,” Clare said. 

“I was thinking the exact same thing, actually,” his sister said, turning to Janeka. 

“You can’t be serious,” the Warden hissed. “We have to do this. We could end the Blight forever!” 

“Whether or not your reasons for wanting to do this are genuine, I don’t believe that you’ll be able to control Corypheus. He’s too dangerous. He must be killed.” 

“You won’t stop us, Hawke,” Janeka said. “We’ll get to Corypheus first and make you see.” She summoned a wall of fire and they disappeared into the tower. 

“We must get to the prison before them!” Larius said in a panic. 

“We will,” Marian said, with determination. 

Once Marian and Merrill had put the fire out, the other Wardens were long gone. They chased after them, but they came across several genlocks, hurlocks and Carta dwarves that Janeka had sent after them to try and slow them down. 

“I’d almost forgotten about the dwarves,” Clare said, as she disarmed one of her attackers. “Kind of nice to be back to basics.”

“Basics, right,” Carver scoffed. “Crazed dwarves that want to bring my blood to the King of the Darkspawn. Doesn’t get more primitive than that.” 

He grunted as he pushed his greatsword through the gut of the dwarf Clare had just disarmed, and then wiped a line of sweat from his brow. 

“You know...if this were a movie, you’d be played by the hottest, sexiest ladyboner-inducing hunk in Hollywood,” Clare said. 

“I… what?” Carver said, suddenly very embarrassed, but he wasn’t entirely sure why. 

“Don’t worry about it, stud muffin,” she said with a wink. 

A dwarf fell in between them with an arrow sticking out of his chest. 

“Another one for me! How many have you got, Hawke?!” Varric shouted from the other side of the room. 

“Don’t boast, Varric,” his sister teased, freezing a dwarf that Colin turned to shatter with his katana. 

“We are near. Hurry!” Larius said. He rushed out of the room, and everyone followed. 

They had finally reached the top of the prison tower. 

“Oh, that’s nice,” Varric said. 

Marian turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised. 

“I was just wondering what some place sinister and foreboding would look like. And here it is.” 

Carver laughed out loud, but he sobered up when Janeka emerged from the shadows. 

“Larius, give us Hawke and I will make sure you die quickly and honorably,” she said. 

“A death from you is no honor!” Larius shouted. 

“This is your last chance, Hawke. You can come with us willingly or not, but one way or another, we are getting your blood!” 

The Wardens withdrew their weapons in preparation of a fight. 

“I'm getting tired of teaching these people,” his sister huffed, as she cast a protective barrier on the group.

The Wardens didn’t go down easily, but it had to be done. Carver felt as though the entire world had been imbalanced. Templars (especially Kirkwall Templars) often struck first and asked questions later. Grey Wardens weren’t known for their tact, but they weren’t like _this_. 

Looking at the grim expression on the others’ faces, Carver was sure they were thinking the same thing. 

Once Janeka and the other Wardens were dead, Larius lead everyone to the final seal, which according to him, held Corypheus. 

“The key is not enough. Needs blood,” he said. 

“Are you sure, sister?” Carver asked. She was a mage, and even if she wasn’t using her blood to do magic, in some way it was still blood magic. 

“We’ve come this far. If the seals aren’t holding, then I have to finish what father started,” she said. 

She went around the room, obstructing four pillars that surrounded the seal, weakening it. As she approached the final pillar, she stopped and took a deep breath.

“Last chance to turn back,” Varric said. “Drinks are on me. Forever.” 

Marian blocked the last pillar, and then went to the seal. She pulled out a knife, cut her hand and let her blood drip on the seal. Then she took their father’s staff and held it over the seal. 

The seal glowed, and knocked her off the platform. Carver rushed to her side and was helping her to her feet as a figure rose from the seal. 

He stared at them for several long moments before speaking. 

“Be this some dream that I wake from? Am I in dwarven lands? Why seem their roads so empty? You! Serve you at the Temple of Dumat? Bring me hence! I must speak with the first acolyte!” 

Clare stood behind Marian, snickering into her hand, failing miserably to hide her apparent amusement. 

“Son of a fuck, who _is_ this guy?” Clare said, unable to contain her laughter. 

“He’s from the old Imperium,” Larius said.

“Kneel!” Corypheus shouted at them. “You must submit to any magister of the Imperium!” 

“This molly isn’t for real, is he?” Colin asked. “You can’t expect me to take him seriously.” 

“He does seem to be rather confused,” Marian said. 

“Then we kill him, before he figures out where the Void he is,” Carver said. 

“I’m with Junior,” Varric said, checking to make sure Bianca was loaded and ready. 

“Then let’s kill a Darkspawn,” Marian said. 

Corypheus was far from a mere Darkspawn. According to Larius, he had been one of the magisters responsible for the damn blight.

To put it lightly, the fight was wearisome.

And then Corypheus summoned rotating walls of fire. 

The group circled around the room in between the walls of flames, fighting shades and breaking down the pillars. Once the pillars had been obstructed, Corypheus dropped to his knees, temporarily weakened. 

Carver rushed in and droved his pommel into his enemy’s collar bone, shattering it. He swung his greatsword in an upward swing and nearly lifted Corypheus off his feet with the momentum. 

Corypheus soon gained his strength and cast a force spell so strong it knocked Carver halfway across the room. 

Carver fell to one knee, using his sword to support his heavy weight. The spell had torn through him, making his body feel like it was being ground against the floor. 

“Carver!” his sister yelled.

He looked up, and could see that she was trying desperately to get to him. Panic was clearly written across her face, but they were still thick in the fight. 

Corypheus started channeling his revolving walls of flames again, and Carver wasn’t sure if he’d be able to move out of the way. Then boulders started to fall from the ceiled. 

Sodding _fucking_ brilliant. 

He felt hands on his back, and turned to see Colin. 

“Up you get,” he said, hefting Carver to his feet. 

With Colin there to help support his weight, they made it safely to one of the pillar alcoves. 

“Why are you helping me?” Carver asked, genuinely curious. 

“Clare seems to like you,” Colin said. “That, and I figure it might get your sister to sleep with me,” he added with a wink. 

“Don’t bloody count on it,” Carver groaned. 

Several moments later, Merrill ran up and was pulling a healing potion out of her satchel for Carver. 

“Where’s Marian?” Carver asked her. 

“Working the pillars with Varric and Clare,” she answered, handing him the vial. “Corypheus is weak. Once Hawke destroys the pillars, she’ll be able to kill him, I’m sure of it.” 

Carver tried to stand up, but his legs gave out underneath him. 

“You should stay here,” Merrill said, a piteous look in her eyes. Carver grunted angrily and looked away from her. 

“I’ll stay with him,” Colin told her, as she rejoined the fight. 

“Maker’s balls, you don’t have to sit here and hold my damn hand,” Carver growled. “They need your help.”

“You need it more,” Colin said with a smirk. “Besides, it’s more fun to watch.” He pointed to Clare. 

“What?” Carver asked. 

“Watch her move. She’s beautiful,” Colin said, as he sat there watching her wistfully. 

“You actually care about her, don’t you?” Carver wondered out loud. 

“Hell yes, I do. But I can’t get her to believe that,” Colin answered. 

“Why?” Carver couldn’t help but ask. 

“A little honesty between bros?” Colin said, not taking his eyes off Clare. “I treat her like shit. She deserves far better than me. But that doesn’t change how I feel about her. I’m way too selfish to just give up. I love her too damn much.”

Corypheus fell to his knees, and Carver watched as his sister delivered the fatal blow. 

Carver tried to stand, grunting in pain. Colin helped support his weight again and they made their way over to Marian. 

“Are you alright?” she asked him immediately, her face full of concern. 

“I’m fine,” Carver tried to assure her. “The force spell just knocked the wind out of me. The healing potion is already helping.” 

She smiled at him, clearly grateful to hear that he was okay. Behind her, Carver watched at the Warden approached them. 

“Thank you, Hawke,” Larius said. “You have done an immeasurable service to the Grey Wardens this day.” 

“You… you’re… why are you suddenly normal?” Marian blurted out. Carver tried not to laugh, but he enjoyed it when his sister lacked tact. 

“My head is clearer now that Corypheus is gone. There is so much less noise. Thank you, Hawke, truly. Allow me to show you the way out.” 

Marian smiled at him, and nodded to the group indicating that they should follow. 

“No arguments from me, Hawke,” Varric said. “I can’t wait to get out of the blighted Deep Roads. Again. _Why/i do you keep bringing me here?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is an actual fan of DA2, you may notice that I sometimes use direct dialogue from the game (Ex: “Another one for me! How many have you got, Hawke?!”) This is because I actually LIKED the game and its characters, especially during combat. The quips and banter during side quests is what makes the game for me. I borrow some of my favorite lines and don’t change them because why would I?

**Author's Note:**

> I know... this is a very strange crossover to write. It's just a fun project I've been working on for awhile. I haven't posted fics in well over ten years, but a friend encouraged me to take the leap and post something. So I have.
> 
> If anyone has any suggestions for tags, I welcome the help!


End file.
